Ordered by median earnings ten years after entry — with the debt each cohort carries, because a big salary against a bigger loan is not a win. The typical graded US university clears its debt in 1.3 years on median earnings of $57,146 against $22,500 of debt.
| # | University | Grade | You borrow | Monthly | You earn | Debt clears in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 181 | City University of Seattle Washington | B | $25,000 | $284 | $69,460 | 0.8 yrs |
| 182 | Skidmore College New York | B | $19,500 | $222 | $69,363 | 0.7 yrs |
| 183 | Thomas Edison State University New Jersey | A | $12,500 | $142 | $69,331 | 0.4 yrs |
| 184 | Lawrence Technological University Michigan | B | $27,000 | $307 | $69,151 | 0.9 yrs |
| 185 | Hofstra University New York | B | $23,621 | $269 | $69,039 | 0.8 yrs |
| 186 | Wofford College South Carolina | B | $25,732 | $293 | $68,964 | 0.9 yrs |
| 187 | Washington State University Washington | B | $19,500 | $222 | $68,905 | 0.7 yrs |
| 188 | Washington State University at Vancouver Washington | B | $19,500 | $222 | $68,905 | 0.7 yrs |
| 189 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges New York | B | $27,000 | $307 | $68,831 | 0.9 yrs |
| 190 | University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Massachusetts | B | $25,000 | $284 | $68,804 | 0.9 yrs |
| 191 | DePaul University Illinois | B | $23,168 | $263 | $68,751 | 0.8 yrs |
| 192 | University of Illinois Chicago Illinois | A | $16,704 | $190 | $68,740 | 0.6 yrs |
| 193 | California Lutheran University California | B | $21,669 | $246 | $68,712 | 0.7 yrs |
| 194 | Furman University South Carolina | B | $23,250 | $264 | $68,635 | 0.8 yrs |
| 195 | Texas Christian University Texas | B | $21,500 | $244 | $68,424 | 0.7 yrs |
| 196 | University of California, Santa Cruz California | A | $16,666 | $189 | $68,396 | 0.6 yrs |
| 197 | Emmanuel College Massachusetts | B | $27,000 | $307 | $68,245 | 0.9 yrs |
| 198 | University of Texas at Dallas Texas | B | $18,000 | $205 | $68,227 | 0.6 yrs |
| 199 | San Francisco State University California | A | $15,371 | $175 | $68,077 | 0.5 yrs |
| 200 | Jacksonville University Florida | B | $22,000 | $250 | $68,010 | 0.8 yrs |
| 201 | Washington & Jefferson College Pennsylvania | B | $27,000 | $307 | $67,918 | 1 yrs |
| 202 | Denison University Ohio | B | $26,000 | $296 | $67,753 | 0.9 yrs |
| 203 | Mount Saint Mary College New York | B | $26,007 | $296 | $67,705 | 0.9 yrs |
| 204 | University of California, Riverside California | B | $17,500 | $199 | $67,699 | 0.6 yrs |
| 205 | Hampden-Sydney College Virginia | B | $26,000 | $296 | $67,640 | 0.9 yrs |
| 206 | Whitman College Washington | B | $18,437 | $210 | $67,589 | 0.7 yrs |
| 207 | National University California | B | $25,000 | $284 | $67,548 | 0.9 yrs |
| 208 | Ramapo College of New Jersey New Jersey | B | $21,000 | $239 | $67,541 | 0.8 yrs |
| 209 | Marymount University Virginia | B | $25,000 | $284 | $67,516 | 0.9 yrs |
| 210 | Suffolk University Massachusetts | B | $26,889 | $306 | $67,506 | 1 yrs |
Several universities near the top of this list also carry some of the heaviest borrowing in the country. Earning well while repaying heavily is not obviously better than earning less with nothing to repay — which is why the debt column sits right beside the salary.
The earnings figure blends every subject a university teaches. A campus that teaches nothing but medicine or engineering reports the medicine or engineering number; a broad university reports a blended one, however strong its individual departments are.
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard. Figures cover students who received federal financial aid and blend every subject at each institution. Information only, not financial advice.